Trump<\/a>\u00a0extended a two-week U.S. ceasefire on Tuesday, saying it was warranted due to Tehran’s “seriously fractured” government.<\/p>\n “Based on the fact that the Government of Iran is seriously fractured, not unexpectedly so and, upon the request of Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, of Pakistan, we have been asked to hold our Attack on the Country of Iran until such time as their leaders and representatives can come up with a unified proposal,” Trump said in a\u00a0Truth Social post<\/a>.<\/p>\n The ceasefire would be extended until Tehran submitted a proposal or discussions were concluded, and the U.S. military would continue its blockade of Iranian ports, according to Trump. <\/p>\n However, the timeline remains uncertain. Iranian state media reported Wednesday that Tehran’s negotiators wouldn’t attend the talks with the U.S., calling them a “waste of time.” A lack of commitment from Iran reportedly prompted Vice President\u00a0JD Vance<\/a>\u00a0to pause his trip to join peace talks. Meanwhile, Iran’s navy also said that it had\u00a0seized two container ships<\/a>\u00a0in the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n The\u00a0West Texas Intermediate<\/a> was 0.14% lower at $92.83 per barrel as of 8:02 p.m. ET. Brent crude<\/a>\u00a0dropped 0.17% to $101.74 per barrel. <\/p>\n South Korea’s Kospi advanced 1.33% while the small-cap Kosdaq was 0.58% higher. The country’s economy<\/a> grew more than expected in the first three months of the year, recording the fastest growth since the third quarter of 2020.<\/p>\n The 1.7% growth in January to March from the previous quarter exceeded Reuters’ estimates of 1.0%<\/a> and rebounded from the 0.2% contraction in the prior quarter.<\/p>\n Japan’s\u00a0Nikkei 225<\/a> gained 0.40%, while the Topix slipped 0.16%. Australia’s S&P\/ASX 200 was 0.56% lower.<\/p>\n Hong Kong Hang Seng index<\/a> futures were at 26,169, compared with the index’s last close of 26,163.24. The release of the city’s March inflation data will be closely watched by investors. <\/p>\n Stock Chart IconStock chart icon S&P 500 futures<\/a>\u00a0slipped 0.1%, while the\u00a0Nasdaq 100 futures<\/a>\u00a0were around the flatline.\u00a0Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average<\/a>\u00a0fell by 173 points, or 0.4%.<\/p>\n During Wednesday’s regular session, the\u00a0S&P 500<\/a>\u00a0added 1.05% to finish at 7,137.90, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq<\/a> added 1.64% to settle at 24,657.57. The latter had hit a new all-time intraday high in the session. <\/p>\n Meanwhile, the\u00a0Dow Jones Industrial Average<\/a>\u00a0advanced 340.65 points, or 0.69%, to end the day at 49,490.03.<\/p>\n \u2014 CNBC’s Sean Conlon<\/a> and Lisa Kailai Han<\/a>\u00a0contributed to this report.<\/p>\n![\"hide](\"https:\/\/static-redesign.cnbcfm.com\/dist\/a54b41835a8b60db28c2.svg\")
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